ABSTRACT
In this chapter I have tried to contextualise anti-racist social work within its historical context, and in relation to the broader politics of anti-racism. I shall develop my argument by distinguishing between a personal capacity to act morally, which is a property of the individual; and the existence of external ethical frameworks which are social and political in their origin and nature. In developing this argument I draw centrally upon Zygmunt Bauman's (1993) Postmodern Ethics. In doing this I make no claims that his analysis is ‘true’. I start from a position which finds his vision of human moral identity personally appealing, and his arguments persuasive. I am moved by his analysis and its centring of moral responsibility within the individual, and I share his scepticism about the universality and objectivity of ethical frameworks.
